PHOTO BY BRITTANY BAYS
Build-Your-Own
BY KE VIN MICHELL
The venues, vendors and wedding planners of NKY can make your dream wedding a reality
P
lanning a wedding is hard work and it can be even tougher to make it the one-of-a-kind event that perfectly reflects the personalities of you and your spouse-to-be. But take heart, engaged couples of Northern Kentucky—everything you need to make your special day perfect is here in Northern Kentucky. This is why NKY Magazine has put together this guide to building your own Northern Kentucky wedding. We start with choosing the perfect venue and then move to other necessary pieces to build on the theme, from selecting a planner to bring your idea to life to all the flourishes that can make your reception one that every guest will fondly remember.
START WITH A VENUE If you’re looking for wide open spaces and a pastoral setting, look no further than two properties about a half-hour southeast of Newport. The Stables Entwined Event Venue in California, Kentucky, is a giant wood barn built in 2016 that can hold 160 people comfortably and up to 260 when tent space is added. The venue also has a 3,250-square-foot patio area. Just a few miles downriver in Melbourne, right on the south bank of the Ohio River, lies
The Inn at Oneonta. The historic inn at the center of the 25-acre property was the only building left standing in Oneonta after the 1937 flood of the Ohio River. Michelle and Travis Faris purchased the property a little over five years ago and have been hosting weddings in its picturesque setting ever since. “There’s so much history, there’s so much natural beauty, there’s so much uniqueness to the venue that guests leave talking about it for years to come,” owner Michelle Faris says. Ceremonies can take place inside the chapel on the grounds or outside in a gorgeous gazebo area right on the riverbank. Looking for the perfect place for an elegant non-religious ceremony or traditional reception after a church wedding? Covington and Newport have a lot to offer. Mansion Hill Sanctuary, at 417 E. Sixth St. in Newport, offers a beautiful space with warm, bright hardwood and stained-glass windows as well as a wedding chapel for ceremonies, over 1,800 square feet of reception area and a spacious bridal suite and annex that can also be utilized throughout the wedding day. Covington’s Metropolitan Club, located high up in the RiverCenter Towers, offers a flexible reception space with an exceptional
Kadie Ruff & Colin Heim held their wedding at Drees Pavilion in Devou Park
panoramic view of downtown Cincinnati and the river valley to the west. With its ballroom and grill room combining for 3,750 square feet of entertaining space, there’s plenty of room for a big party featuring the club’s delicious gourmet menu offerings. Summit Hills Country Club can offer a similarly spacious and elegant reception space while integrating a touch of the outdoors as the pristine golf course serves as a backdrop. Any couples looking for a hip space to help make their celebration extra special aren’t hurting for choices, either. Devou Park’s Drees Pavilion features perhaps the best view on the south bank of the Ohio River, heightened by a beautiful terrace and gazebo that can be utilized for the ceremony and reception. The venue also offers special lighting packages to add a unique and vibrant tone to your reception. Leapin Lizard, located at 724 Main St. in Covington, is in a building that has been reimagined many times over. Starting as a United Methodist church when it was built in 1886, it has been transformed into an eclectic event space that merges elements like its original stained-glass windows and a working pipe organ with the soul of an art gallery and concert venue. If you’re looking for trendy, look no further than The Loft at Braxton Brewing. The brewing company’s new event space on the second floor of its Covington taproom www.BestofNKY.com
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3/18/20 10:52 AM